griffin {two months}

My mom put the quilt together just in time for Griffin's two month pictures. Isn't it fabulous?? I can't wait to see it all quilted and finished. It will be a great addition to Griffin's room...you know, the room that we will hopefully finish before Griffin is too big for a nursery. :)

I was smart this time and did our little photo shoot while big brother was sleeping. I think Griffin appreciated not having to worry about being sat on while his mama was taking pictures. 

Griffin's eye is a little red in these pictures. He has an overactive tear duct and sometimes it gets a little red from trying to keep it clean. Poor baby. Levi had the same thing. Someone mentioned in Griffin's one month pictures that the little stripe on his diaper was green...meaning his diaper was wet and needed to be changed (diapers are so fancy now, huh?). Obviously I should have changed his diaper before his one month pictures. And maybe I should have waited until the next day for his two month pictures so that his eye wouldn't be red. But, I kind of like the real life pictures that are not so perfect. They tell the story of life with my growing baby:

1 month - changing wet diapers all the time

2 months - wiping goopy eye all the time

That is real life.

Here is a glimpse of Griffin at two months...

You are definitely trying to keep up with your "big" brother. At your two month appointment you weighed 14 pounds, 10 ounces and were 23.5 inches long. You eat every 2 to 3 hours which feels like ALL THE TIME. But you are a growing boy, right? Hungry boys will probably be the story of my life. I'm good with that. I just might need to learn to cook in larger quantities. 

You are smiling all the time now...although I didn't catch many smiles this day. You love to be talked to and talk and coo right back at us. You actually have a pretty loud "talking" voice. Maybe because you want to make sure you are heard over your loud brother? :)

We haven't quite gotten into a sleeping schedule yet. You are pretty predictable during the day...eat, play, sleep. You even usually take a longer nap during Levi's nap time. You must know your mama needs a little break. Thank you sweet baby. 

Your nights are not so predictable though. You are waking up 1-2 times a night...and I never know when that will be. Lately you have been going to bed between 10 and 11pm, waking up between 2 and 5am, and then going back to sleep until 7 or 8am. You usually go right back to sleep though, so I won't complain. Tiredness is just part of being a mama...and it is so worth it!

You are a snuggle baby. You are so happy as long as someone is holding you. It is a good thing I have to take care of your big brother because otherwise I might just sit and hold you all day. When I am holding you, your big brother always wants to sit in mama's lap too. He loves you just as much as I do...he just doesn't always love sharing his mama with you. :)

You are such a sweet little boy...the perfect addition to our family. 

At two months we all love you so much!

You can see Griffin's one month pictures here.

the two of them

Oops...some of you got a little preview of this post already! Here is the completed version. :)

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Thanksgiving is over and Christmas lists and plans are already spinning through my head. No black Friday shopping for me yesterday. Joel was working and I stayed home with the little boys. I did shop online though and scored some great deals. I actually got quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. Yay!

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful. We are so blessed with such great families. I think I only took one picture though...so much for capturing the memories of Thanksgiving 2011. But I don't want to rush into the busyness that usually comes along with Christmas and forget about cultivating thankfulness. I want thankfulness to be my attitude toward life and the condition of my heart...ALL THE TIME. I want to remember to even be thankful for the mundane little moments when I get to hang out on my bed with

the two of them.

I hate to admit that before they were born I was praying for both of these sweet little boys to be girls. I had no idea that I needed boys in my life. Only God knew that. What a precious gift these boys are. What a privilege it is to be there mama. I am so thankful that the Lord entrusted me with the two of them.

I have longed to see my kids together. That is something that I didn't get to experience with Cora and Levi. I can't describe how amazing it is to watch the bond begin to develop between Levi and Griffin. Of course Levi has his not so nice moments...many times a day. But he loves his little brother so intensely. Just this morning he was yelling from his crib, "Mama, Griffin, Mama, Griffin". I love that he thinks of Griffin right when he wakes up. I am so thankful I can watch the two of them together.

The keep me busy. They make me tired. They challenge me to be a better mama. They draw me closer to my Father. They make our house noisy, and messy, and fun. I am so thankful for the two of them.

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Don't forget about the DaySpring Super Sale. Use code SUPER30 to get 30% off the entire store. The sale ends Monday, November 28th (Cyber Monday). And make sure you check out the Super Specials...you can check out some of my favorites here. (The 30% off does not apply to the Super Specials because they are already such a great deal!)

DaySpring also has their big canvas sale going on now. You can get 30% off all canvases...including the new canvases by Jones Design Company.

I ordered the Seek First His Kingdom Print. It usually retails for $54.99 but with the 30% off canvas sale you can get it for $38.49...AND if you use the 30% off super sale code you can get it for $26.94!

There are lots of other great canvases and tons of other deals. Make sure you check out DaySpring before Monday!


This post is part of DaySpring's affiliate program.

defining thankfulness

My church shared this video at our Thanksgiving Eve service last night.

I wanted to share it with you too.
Thankfulness...it is powerful.

As I have been thinking about what it looks like to live out thankfulness in my own life, I went back through this video and wrote down all the things that define thankfulness.

THANKFULNESS...

BONDS FAMILIES

STRENGTHENS FRIENDSHIPS

UNITES COMMUNITIES

THANKFULNESS IS THE...

DEFENSE AGAINST MATERIALISM

ENEMY OF ENTITLEMENT

CURE FOR SELF PITY

THANKFULNESS...

IS GIVEN BY THE SPIRIT

WAS MODELED BY THE SON

HONORS THE FATHER

THANKFULNESS...

IS BORN OUT OF HUMILITY

SUSTAINS FAITHFULNESS

IS A PRE-REQUISITE FOR JOY

LEADS TO GENEROSITY

THANKFULNESS IS...

A COMMAND FROM GOD

AN ATTITUDE TOWARD LIFE

A CONDITION OF THE HEART

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD

FOR HE IS GOOD

HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.

PSALM 107:1

I pray that thankfulness would always be the condition of my heart.
I have SO much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

dayspring super sale

I was wanting to post this earlier this week but never had time to sit down and blog. So...I wanted to let you know before it is too late that DaySpring's Super Sale is going on right now. This is their biggest sale of the year and there are tons of awesome deals. Use coupon code SUPER30 to get 30% off the entire store. This sale started Tuesday, November 22 and lasts through Monday the 28th (Cyber Monday).

You may be heading out way too early on Friday morning to score some Black Friday deals, but not me. The thought of getting less sleep than I already do is not appealing right now! :) So, I am excited to do some shopping from home and not have to go out in the crazy crowds. Not only can you get 30% off the entire DaySpring store, but they are also having Super Specials with huge discounts...I mean really huge discounts ranging from 60% to 75% off! Here are some of my favorites.

Inspirational Message Blocks

$49.99 $15.00

Wonderful Grace - Carved Wooden Serving Tray

$48.00 $18.00

Nativity Hurricane Candle Trio
$59.99 $23.99

Give Thanks Wooden Caddy
$29.99 $9.00

        

Aren't those deals amazing? And there are even more. DaySpring also has all their canvases 30% off and their totes are buy one get one free through the end of November. The canvas art by Jones Design Company is my favorite. I just ordered mine and can't wait to get it. These would make some great Christmas gifts too. And don't forget the cards...DaySpring cards are the best.

You can get free shipping on $25+ orders using coupon code: shipping 25

Keep checking back...there will be a DaySpring giveaway here at The Macs in the near future!

Happy shopping...and more importantly, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We have SO much to be thankful for.

This post is part of DaySpring's affiliate program.

giveaway week winners

Happy Monday!

What better way to start off the week then with a few more sock monkey pictures?

It has been getting cold here, so we have needed our sock monkey hats to keep warm.

I love for the boys to wear them when we go out because they just make people smile. We like to make people smile. :)

You all rocked the comments during giveaway week. Wow! I don't think I have ever had over 600 comments on a giveaway before. So fun.

We are just sad that we can only pick a few winners. We would send you each one of everything if we could. Really, we would. Levi thinks every little boy needs a sock monkey hat.

But, if you are one of the winners...your Monday will be even better!

Here are the winners from giveaway week...

Flitty, Twitty, and Itty Bitty

Tara - My girlies are very into Dr. Seuss so 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' is very popular in our house!

Melissa - I LOVED The Velveteen Rabbit when I was little!

ImBlessed 

Amee - Hi! My favorite is the Hand Stamped Sterling Silver Heart on a Chain with a Pearl - Whimsy Heart. I would give this to my future daughter in law on Dec. 31st, as she is to wed my oldest son. :) I would put her new intials SME. Thank you for hosting this give away! I love your bracelets too! Beautiful sentimental jewelry.

A Perfect Treasure 

Lindsay Jo - i'm loving the rudolph one!

Sock Monkey Hat  

Tiffany - I'd give it to my sweet 12 week old, Graham! Then i would have to find one for my 21 month old. The hats are precious and so are your boys.

RV Parties  

Angela - I would adore the quatrefoil plate in turqoise and red! Thank you. Griffin is absolutely precious. Congratulations!!!

If you were the winner of one of these giveaways please email me at:

contactthemacs {at} yahoo {dot} com

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And if you weren't one of the winners here are a few great deals for you...

RV Parties

Rachel is offering my readers 15% off any order using code MACS15.

Coupon good through November 30th. 

All orders need to be placed by November 30th to arrive by Christmas.

A Perfect Treasure

Karen is offering my readers 20% off any order using code griffin20.

ImBlessed

You can get free shipping on orders of $50 or more through December 10th.

Enter coupon code FREESHIP at checkout.

(The silver cuff bracelet like I have is listed in the shop again!!)

giveaway week {flitty,twitty, and itty bitty}

Levi and I LOVE to read.

One of the best things about being a kindergarten teacher (besides the kids of course) was all the books I got to read everyday. I have always loved children's books. 

As Levi gets older it has been so fun to share some of those books with him and read new ones that even his mama hasn't heard before. It is funny how Levi picks his favorites. Every few weeks it seems like he has three or four favorites that he wants to read over and over and over...and then in a few weeks he has new favorites that he wants to read over and over and over. Joel and I are thankful that his favorites change...you can only read the same book over and over and over so many times. :)

These are his favorites right now:

Otis by Loren Long

Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems

Thank You, God by PK Hallinan

No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli (a silly book, but he LOVES it)

I'm sure in a few weeks he will have a new list of favorites.

Last week we were given two new books. How exciting! The author of these books, Mary Ellen Tippin, is a friend of my family. In fact my family was introduced to the Tippins when we first moved to the area many, many years ago. Mary Ellen and my mom have been best buddies ever since.

These two books are about three little birds--Flitty, Twitty, and Itty Bitty--and their birdie family. They are a little long for Levi's age, but I was actually surprised how they held his attention. I only had to paraphrase a few pages because he was ready to move on. :) He loved the birdies and was always looking for the nest in the illustrations. My nephew and niece are almost 3 and 5 and they love these books. They ask to read them whenever they go to Grammy's house. I think in a few months Levi will love them too...maybe they will even make his list of favorites.

What I really like about these books is that they allow you to talk about God to your children and how he cares so much about every part of our lives...He even cares about the little birdies. Flitty, Twitty and Itty Bitty is based off of these verses:

Not one little birdie will fall to the ground without your Heavenly Father knowing all about it. So why should you be afraid? You are even more valuable to God then birdies.

Matthew 10:29 and 31

Here is an overview of Flitty, Twitty and Itty Bitty from Mary Ellen's website:

Does anyone really care what happens to baby birdies? God does. If God cares about baby birdies we can be sure He cares about each of us, too! The Birdie Family: Papa, Mama, Flitty, Twitty, and little Itty Bitty find out God is watching over them and their family when trouble "blows" their way.

I have been on the search for some Christmas books to read to Levi and Griffin that talk about the real meaning of Christmas. I would love to have a stack of Christmas books that we pull out every year to read. The Christmas Birdie is the perfect addition. What a fun way to recall that most important day of Jesus' birth through the eyes of a little birdie.

Here is what Mary Ellen's website said about The Christmas Birdie:

How would you like to have witnessed the birth of the most important person who ever lived? That is exactly what happened to a little birdie named Flit. What started out as disaster turned into wonder in a stable in Bethlehem one winter’s night.

Mary Ellen is giving away TWO sets of her books along with an audio CD of Flitty, Twitty, and Itty Bitty (there is also a birdie song and bonus story included on the CD).

Giveaway Details:

Flitty, Twitty, and Itty Bitty by Mary Ellen Tippin

Flitty, Twitty, and Itty Bitty audio CD

The Christmas Birdie by Mary Ellen Tippin

TWO winners chosen at random

One entry per person

Giveaway ends Saturday, November 19th at 9pm (CST)

To enter tell me your favorite Christmas books (I need some ideas!)

-or-

just tell me your favorite children's book

You can find out more about Mary Ellen and her books on her website. 

These books are available for purchase on the website or through Amazon.

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To enter the RV Parties giveaway click here.

To enter the Sock Monkey Hat giveaway click here.

To enter the A Perfect Treasure giveaway click here.

To enter the ImBlessed giveaway click here.

All giveaways close Saturday (tomorrow), November 19th at 9pm.

giveaway week {imblessed}

I have always loved silver bracelets. I wore one all the time that Joel gave me while we were dating until it broke. I was so sad. Now I wear three...I think I could even wear more! I wear a circle tag charm bracelet that my parents gave me on my wedding day. They engraved it with my new initials JCM. Did you know that my middle name is Cora? I have always loved my middle name, but after losing our sweet Cora I love that it is my middle name even more. I also wear a Cora bracelet. A sweet lady who owned a local jewelry store in my town (it is now closed) made one for me and many others when Cora died. We all wore them to the funeral. And I have worn mine almost every day since. And now I have a new bracelet! Misty from ImBlessed sent me a hand stamped cuff bracelet after Griffin was born. 

Now I have a bracelet with all of my babies names. Love it.

When I am out with my family people always assume I am a mama of two boys. Cora is not a visible part of our family anymore. Sometimes that is still so hard.

So, I love wearing this bracelet as a reminder that I am a mama of three kids...one girl and two boys. My sweet girl isn't with me, but she is waiting for me in heaven. In some ways it is a reminder that this world is not my home...to always keep an eternal perspective. I love that.

Misty from ImBlessed is giving away a $30 gift certificate to her shop to one of my readers. Now you can have a piece of your very own hand stamped jewelry...or maybe there is someone on your Christmas list who would love a new necklace or bracelet!

Giveaway Details:

Gift Certificate to ImBlessed

($30 value)

ONE winner chosen at random

One entry per person

Giveaway ends Saturday, November 19th at 9pm (CST)

To enter visit ImBlessed...

come back and leave a comment telling me your favorite item.

You can find ImBlessed on Etsy.

You can get free shipping on orders of $50 or more through December 10th.

Enter coupon code FREESHIP at checkout.

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To enter the RV Parties giveaway click here.

To enter the Sock Monkey Hat giveaway click here.

To enter the A Perfect Treasure giveaway click here.

All giveaways close Saturday, November 19th at 9pm.